Hollywood Inside & Out Feb 20, 2014

“Right now – what me and my wife like to call it – I’m very fappy. I am very fat and very happy.” – Channing Tatum tells Ellen DeGeneres all about his enormous weight gain during his downtime. How he constantly goes from being gigantic to ripped within an inch of his life is indeed an unsolved mystery. The most simple answer is that he’s only 33.

As if the death of Philip Seymour Hoffman wasn’t tragic enough, the “National Enquirer” has upped the stakes by reporting that the friend who discovered his body was also his male lover!

Writer David Bar Katz has now filed a $50 million lawsuit against the “Enquirer” claiming that the “exclusive interview” he allegedly gave the publication was a complete fabrication. The tabloid quotes Katz as admitting that the two were lovers, that he had seen Hoffman use heroin in the past, and that he witnessed the actor freebasing cocaine hours before his death. Katz has no recollection of ever meeting the writers credited with the interview and says he “unquestionably has not spoken to them or anyone else from the ‘Enquirer’ since Hoffman’s death.” Stay tuned.

In an interview that most definitely did take place, Elijah Blue Allman has gone public about his contentious relationship with his famous mom, Cher. Although he describes the usual issues we all have with our mothers, things reached a boiling point when he announced his engagement to Angie King. Apparently, Cher’s reaction was silence. Given her non-reaction, Elijah decided to elope. “I wasn’t going to wait for anyone’s approval and congratulations just like I’ve never waited for any of that my whole life.” He is quick to add that he has heard from other members of his family, including Cher’s mom, Georgia Holt. Elijah claims to have been iced out of Cher’s life, including not getting invited to her traditional Christmas celebration. He tweeted, “Me and my fiancée we’re not invited to the Malibu house for Christmas.” It should be noted that since the couple married on December 1st, she was no longer his fiancée at Christmas – she was his wife. You know I’m a stickler for details.

Cheyenne Jackson announced some happy news this week – he’s engaged. His current fiancé is sometime actor Jason Landau – allegedly the recipient of that jerk-off video that can be found on BillyMasters.com. Many have noted that this engagement comes six months after his divorce from hubby Monte Lapka (who Cheyenne had been with for 13 years). But, as they say, the heart wants what the heart wants.

Meanwhile on the Left Coast, Gloria Gaynor caused quite a kerfuffle at the très gay nightclub, The Abbey. Apparently, the singer was booked to perform at the venue last Thursday, and made an odd request. She asked that there be no shirtless men in her immediate vicinity. In fact, if she saw so much as a fleeting nipple, she was out the door. For a club known for their gorgeous go-go boys, this could prove to be problematic. When asked if this was homophobia rearing its ugly head, her management reiterated the no-nudity clause. Apparently, the singer (who hasn’t had a hit this century) is allegedly “protecting her image”. In fact, her management claims that shirtless men and provocatively dressed women are denied photo-ops with Gaynor. I mean, come on. Her name says it all.

This kinda leads into our “Ask Billy” question. Gary in Vancouver asks: “Have you watched ‘Baby Daddy‘? The two brothers are mega hot. The lead guy was just naked. And last week, Matt Dallas was on…shirtless!”

The ABC Family show “Baby Daddy” has landed in this column before when we ran some sexy stills of the aforementioned baby daddy, Jean Luc Bilodeau and his onscreen brother, Derek Theler (who is almost ridiculously hot). Throw in the occasional guest star Matt Dallas and you have a hot boy-a-palooza! Of course, even without them, the show is worth watching for the outrageous Melissa Peterman, who should team up with Jennifer Coolidge and Jenifer Lewis to teach a class on how to steal a scene without saying a word. In the third season premiere, Jean Luc was indeed naked. And he made sure he looked good by going on a strict diet and amping up his workouts for three weeks. “I binged on everything at craft service as soon as I was finished shooting, so I probably gained all the weight I lost right back.” Of course, he was even more naked in “Piranha 3DD” – where a piranha attached itself to his penis. How on Earth did we miss that? All those pics and clips will turn up on BillyMasters.com – uncut!

Could it be that the boytoy of a certain superstar is more interested in boys with toys of their own? So say people close to the mover and shaker who tell me that his jaunts to underground gay sex clubs are surfacing faster than Punxsutawney Phil – who saw his shadow, and not a ghost. You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to figure this one out. In fact, I’m told that the little woman with big assets was the first to know – and doesn’t seem to care.

When groundhogs are gossip-worthy, it’s time to end yet another column. And what holiday comes after Groundhog Day? Why, Billy Masters’ Birthday, naturally. And like the groundhog, Billy is going to avoid the cold by heading south – to the Billy Masters Beach House in Fort Lauderdale. But even with the sun, the surf, the sand, and the sex, I’ll still be updating www.BillyMasters.com. If you want to send me a birthday greeting (or perhaps ask a question), drop a note to Billy@BillyMasters.com and I promise to get back to you before Gloria Gaynor is booked to sing “I Will Survive” at the Winter Party! Until next time, remember, one man’s filth is another man’s bible.

Billy Masters was the first to syndicate a column solely to LGBT publications. He's been writing his popular entertainment news/gossip column for over two decades. In addition to writing, Billy is an actor and comedian who can regularly be found on TV, radio, and touring the country. Check out his website: www.BillyMasters.com.